Getting There: The ISEPTAPHILLY Blog

Seniors Making Transition to the SEPTA Key

With thousands of seniors moving to the future of fare payment with the SEPTA Key Senior Photo Identification Card, SEPTA will phase-out the paper PA Senior Citizen Transit ID Card at the end of the service day on August 31, 2018.

Valid Pennsylvania Driver’s Licenses and Non-Driver IDs with a magnetic stripe on the back can still be swiped at turnstiles and fare boxes; new licenses issued by PennDOT on or after July 2017 do not have magnetic stripes and cannot be used.

SEPTA urges all senior citizen riders to register for a Key Photo ID Card to ensure they have no interruption in traveling free on all SEPTA buses, subways and trolleys, and continue to receive $1 fares for most Regional Rail trips.

Most seniors who ride SEPTA have already made the switch to the SEPTA Key Senior Photo Identification Cards. Sign-ups began in late 2016, and more than 136,000 Key Senior Photo ID cards have been issued.

Seniors who have not yet signed up to get their new SEPTA Key Senior Photo ID Card can do so at the offices of many local elected officials, including state senators and representatives and Philadelphia City Council members. Registration is also available at the Transportation Management Associations (TMA) of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. Please allow four weeks for delivery of the card. Seniors who sign up at one of these offices by August 1 will have their SEPTA Key Senior Photo ID card mailed to them no later than September 1.

Same-day cards can be issued on weekdays at SEPTA Headquarters (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 8a to 2p; Wednesday: 8a to 4p), and at Suburban Station’s Accessible Travel Center from 8a to 2p Monday through Friday.

To receive a SEPTA Key Senior Photo ID Card, applicants must fill out an application and show one of the following forms of identification: